3 Website Features Your E-Commerce Site Needs to Stand Out

As Amazon continues to dominate the e-commerce space, smaller online retail businesses must do more to compete.

Web design is one effective way e-commerce businesses can stand out to consumers while making a worthwhile investment in their marketing strategy. A recent consumer survey from Clutch shows that people value three main user experience (UX) features when they browse online:

Effective navigation

Updated website design

Authoritative content

Updating a website to include or enhance these three features will benefit businesses beyond simply improving the user experience. Investing in navigation, design, and content also has important branding and SEO benefits.

Use this article to explore how each of these website features contributes to a high-quality, effective user experience.

1. Effective Navigation Creates a Fluid Web Experience

Most people surveyed (94%) by Clutch think that easy, effective website navigation is the most useful website feature.

The easier a website is to navigate, the faster and more efficiently a user can access the content they want. With both time and patience in short supply, e-commerce brands must provide a linear navigation menu to guide visitors through the site.

For example, Amazon is known for its clear menu structure that makes it easy to move between pages. Amazon’s UX centers around the search bar, which allows a direct line to its wide array of products.

According to the research group Baymard Institute, Amazon’s search function is “state-of-the-art.” Users can search, filter, and view search results with the help of search autocomplete, filtering, and guidance functionality. The search algorithm personalizes the page content based upon these interactions to deliver users more relevant content.

All generations know how to use a search function, which helps Amazon drive maximum sales and customer loyalty. Most people (94%) have purchased from Amazon in the last year, according to Business Insider.

Amazon’s UX also benefits from having changed little in the past 20 years. While the company has tweaked and updated the menu and the search functionality to suit user preferences, the approach has largely remained consistent.

Amazon’s navigation is constant and intuitive – ensuring that shoppers can always find what they need with ease. Small e-commerce businesses can benefit from the basics of Amazon’s navigation tools because users are already accustomed to the website’s usability patterns.

2. Trendy and Updated Site Design Creates Trust

People like a trendy website but only when it doesn’t interfere with their content consumption. According to Clutch, 83% of people agree that websites should be trendy and updated in their appearance.

“Websites that are more attractive and include more trimmings create a greater feeling of trustworthiness and professionalism in consumers,” said Dr. Brent Coker, a professor at the School of Business and Economics at the University of Melbourne.

While trendy website design dazzles visitors and generates trust, good website UX prioritizes functionality and ease of use. E-Commerce businesses should …read more